IELTS SPEAKING

TOPIC: CITIES
• In the IELTS Speaking exam you may be
called upon to showcase your vocabulary to
describe towns and cities. Read the
following IELTS-style questions and
answers below and pay attention to the
phrases in bold.
Part 1-style questions
• Examiner: What is it like where you live?

• Candidate: I live in a residential area of a busy

town in the south of Spain … we have all the
facilities you need … good public transport … a
good shopping center … it’s nice …
• Examiner: Do you like living in the city?

• Candidate: Yes I do … I like going out with my

friends and there are lots of lively bars and
restaurants within walking distance of my
apartment … I’m a bit of a culture vulture as
well so it’s great to have access to art exhibitions
and that kind of thing …
• Examiner: Do you get many tourists visiting
your area?

• Candidate: Not really no … I live in the inner-city

and the area is a little run down … it’s basically a
lot of high-rise flats and many of the shops are
boarded up … so nothing to interest tourists
really …
Part 2-style task
• Describe an interesting town or city in your
country that visitors might enjoy. You should
say
• what the place is called
• where the place is
• what the facilities are like
and say why visitors might enjoy going there.
Sample answer
• Anyone who comes to my country really should spend
some time in Barcelona … it’s a beautiful place … it’s not
what you would call a sprawling city … it’s quite compact
really and you could walk across the city in a couple of
hours … but there’s no need to do that as we have a
fantastic public transport system so it’s easy to get
around … there are various districts all with their own
character … you have the upmarket shops in the centre …
you’ll find lots of chain stores you’ll recognise from your
own country but also local brands as well … we have the
narrow streets in the Gothic district with lots of fashionable
boutiques and tourist attractions … there’s the Olympic
area and the beaches along the coast … and dotted around
the city are some lovely public spaces … parks and
squares in the city centre and on the outskirts of
Barcelona where people relax with their friends and family
… and of course pavement cafes everywhere … all that
and some great historical places of interest … so a great
destination for tourists …
Part 3-style questions
• Examiner: What are the advantages of living
in a city or big town?

• Candidate: I think it’s having access to local

facilities really … local shops as well as access to
larger shopping malls in the city centre … and if
you’re well-off you can afford to live in the
suburbs away from the busy traffic …
Part 3-style questions
• Examiner: In your experience are city centres
usually attractive places?

• Candidate: Some can be yes … especially those

with a historical interest … but sometimes they’re
full of ugly office blocks … multi-story car
parks … and residents living in poor housing … it
depends on the city doesn’t it?
Part 3-style questions
• Examiner: What are some of the challenges
facing towns and cities?

• Candidate: I suppose traffic congestion is a major

problem … and the growth in out-of-town
supermarkets and retail parks mean lots of town
centre shops are closing down … plus a shortage
of good quality housing … I think these are the
major challenges …
Definitions
• boarded up shops: shops that are no longer doing
business
• chain stores: well-known brands with shops in
multiple cities
• to close down: to stop doing business
• fashionable boutiques: fashionable clothes shops
• to get around: to travel around
• high-rise flats: multi-story apartments
Definitions
• inner-city: the central part of a city where people
live and where conditions are often poor
• in the suburbs: the outer area of large towns and
cities where people live
• lively bars/restaurants: bars or restaurants with a
good atmosphere
• local facilities: local buildings or services serving
the public
• multi-story car parks: car parks on several floors
• office block: a large building that contains offices
• out of town shopping centre/retail park: large
shopping centres outside of the town or city
• pavement cafe: cafes with tables outside on the
pavement
• places of interest: buildings that have a particular
interest for visitors
• poor housing: housing that is not in good condition
• public spaces: areas in a town or city that are open
to the public
• public transport system: public vehicles such as
buses and trains that operate at regular times on
fixed routes
• residential area: an area where people live
• run down: old and of a poor standard
• shopping centre: an area consisting of multiple
shops
• shopping malls: large indoor shopping centres
• sprawling city: a city that has grown over time and
which covers a wide area
• tourist attraction: a place of interest to tourists
• traffic congestion: heavy traffic making it difficult
to move around a town or city
• upmarket shops: expensive fashionable shops
THE END